Components
For thermoplastics, the injection molding machine converts granular or pelleted raw plastic into final molded parts via a melt, inject, pack, and cool cycle. A typical injection molding machine consists of the following major components, as illustrated in Figure 1 below.
FIGURE 1. A single screw injection molding machine for thermoplastics
Machine specification
Clamping tonnage and shot size are commonly used to quickly identify the size of the injection molding machine for thermoplastics. Other parameters include injection rate, injection pressure, screw design, mold thickness, and the distance between tie bars.
Machine function
Injection molding machines can be generally classified into three categories, based on machine function:
Auxiliary equipment
The major equipment auxiliary to an injection molding machine includes resin dryers, materials-handling equipment, granulators, mold-temperature controllers and chillers, part-removal robots, and part-handling equipment.